Life Changing Decisions
by brandyandtaffy
Summary: An innocent 'girl's night out' changes the lives of all the Camden's and their extended family.
1. Default Chapter

A friend of mine wrote this story, and with her permission I have revised it, and changed it, if you've read this before the first chapters will be more or less the same but after that, I'm going to add more detail and change the accident's results. F.Y.I. This takes place after Lucy and Kevin's wedding but before the 7th Season Finale.  
  
Chapter One  
  
"Hello?" Annie asked, holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder as she washed spinach for that night's dinner.  
  
"Hey mom, it's me," Mary's voice said through the phone.  
  
"Mary? How are you?"  
  
"I'm good, how's everybody there?"  
  
"Everybody's fine, especially the newlyweds!"  
  
Mary laughed slightly remembering Lucy and Kevin's wedding, "I have a week off, starting tomorrow, so I was thinking I'd come for a visit."  
  
"That would be great! We'd love to see you again!" Annie replied cheerfully, wondering if something was up with her daughter.  
  
"Okay, I'll be there sometime tomorrow afternoon."  
  
"Great, it will be so good to see you again."  
  
Just as Annie hung up the phone, Eric and Ruthie descended down the kitchen stairs.  
  
"Who was that?" Ruthie asked, curiously.  
  
"Mary. She's coming to visit for a week."  
  
"Cool, maybe we can get Lucy away from Kevin long enough for us to have a girl's night out."  
  
"That sounds fun," Annie replied, smiling.  
  
The next day, Eric and Annie were fixing lunch when Mary stepped in the back door.  
  
"Mary, Hi!" Annie exclaimed.  
  
After a few seconds Ben appeared behind Mary.  
  
"Ben?" Eric asked.  
  
"Ben and I have been dating for a month and now we're engaged." Mary replied quickly to her parent's questioning stares.  
  
Before Eric and Annie could say anything Lucy, Kevin, Simon, Ruthie, Sam, and David entered the room.  
  
"Mary!" Lucy exclaimed, hugging her sister.  
  
"Ben?" Kevin asked staring at his brother.  
  
"Ben and I have been dating for a while and now we're engaged!" Mary explained for the second time.  
  
" Wow! I'm so happy for you! You'll love being married!" Lucy cried happily, smiling at Kevin as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  
  
Ruthie rolled her eyes, then turned to Mary and Ben, "that's great."  
  
"Congratulations," Simon replied, honestly happy for his older sister.  
  
"We're so happy for you," Eric and Annie said as they hugged their daughter.  
  
Later that night, Ruthie, Annie, Lucy, and Mary, decided to go out for dinner as Ruthie had suggested. After they left Kevin forced Ben to come to the pool hall with him, stating that they "needed to talk."  
  
At the pool hall, Kevin and Ben sat down near the corner.  
  
" Why didn't you tell me you and Mary were dating again?" Kevin asked after the waitress took their drink orders.  
  
"We wanted to see if things worked out before we told anyone"  
  
"Looks like they did."  
  
Ben laughed "she's as crazy as Lucy, but I love her."  
  
Kevin playfully slapped his brother, "my wife is not crazy!"  
  
"Are you sure about that?"  
  
Kevin laughed in response.  
  
Lucy, Mary, Annie, and Ruthie decided to take Lucy's car, and Lucy was driving, "so where should we go?" she asked.  
  
"How about we go to that little restaurant by the beach?" Annie suggested.  
  
"I love that place!" Mary exclaimed.  
  
Annie smiled at her daughter, "I know."  
  
"That'd be great, but isn't it a little far away?" Ruthie asked.  
  
"It's only about twenty minutes if we take I-35," Lucy answered as she turned the car around.  
  
"Let's go," Mary exclaimed remembering the last time she had visited her favorite restaurant, nearly a year before.  
  
A few minutes later they were driving down the highway, Lucy had just pulled into the far left lane to pass a truck passing another truck. Before Lucy could move the car a large semi-truck came speeding down her lane. The truck immediately crashed into her car, throwing it into a nearby ditch.  
  
At the pool hall, Kevin and Ben were watching their favorite basketball team, the NY Knicks get creamed by the L.A. Lakers. Just as Justin Paoli was about to score the news broke in.  
  
As the reporter spoke scenes of the accident were displayed on the screen, "there has been a major accident on I-35. From what witnesses are saying, a large SISCO semi-truck was driving eastbound on the westbound highway a few miles from The Four Winds Resort. Glenoak detective, John Michaels is on the seen, along with several other officers. What can you tell us about the accident?" The reporter asked as detective Michaels appeared on the screen.  
  
"From what we know so far, that truck," he says pointing to the stopped SISCO truck that was covering most of the highway, "was speeding down the highway in the wrong direction, it is probable that he was intoxicated, and possibly under the influence of other drugs. This car," he says pointing to Lucy's upside down car, "was in 'his' lane, and was thrown into the ditch. Because the truck is blocking traffic several other accidents were caused." As Detective Michaels speaks scenes are shown of the crash.  
  
"Do you know how many people were injured?"  
  
"We do not have an official count, but around 20 people have been taken to the hospital, and 3 were killed instantly, including the truck driver."  
  
"Do you know anything about the passengers of that car?" the reporter asked, motioning to Lucy's car.  
  
"Rescue workers have not been able to free any of the four passengers, I do not know their condition or identity."  
  
Kevin turned toward Ben, "do you know where they were going?"  
  
"No." Ben answered, his voice showing just as much worry as Kevin's.  
  
"Does Mary have a cell phone?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Call her," Kevin demanded handing Ben his cell phone.  
  
Ben smiled, and dialed Mary's number. After several rings the answering machine cut in, "Hey, it's Mary, leave a message and I'll call you back."  
  
Ben sighed, then pushed the off button on the phone.  
  
"She didn't answer?"  
  
Ben sighed and shook his head 'no.'  
  
Roxanne walked amongst the damaged cars, the highway was closed so she didn't need to direct traffic, and there weren't any witnesses that hadn't been questioned. As she walked, Roxanne thought about how many lives were going to be changed forever, it was times like this that she hated her job.  
  
Roxanne stood a few feet away from Lucy's upturned car, watching as the rescue workers carefully disassembled the car. After a few minutes they pulled Lucy's body from the car.  
  
"Oh My God!" Roxanne screamed in horror, as she stared at her unconscious friend who was being placed on a stretcher.  
  
As the paramedics swarmed around Lucy, Roxanne quickly pulled out her cell phone and dialed Kevin's number, she knew that he hadn't been with Lucy because they had invited her to attend their "girl's night out."  
  
Just as Kevin was about to call Eric to ask if he knew anything about the crash, his cell phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" he asked, still not believing that it could possibly be Lucy.  
  
"Did you hear about the crash?" Roxanne asked, trying to stay composed.  
  
"Yes." Kevin answered, from Roxanne's voice he could tell that the news to come was not good.  
  
"It was Lucy." Roxanne stated. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
"It was Lucy." Roxanne stated.  
  
Kevin sat in shock for a minute, until Roxanne broke the silence.  
  
"Kevin?" she asked.  
  
"Is she okay?" he whispered.  
  
Roxanne sighed, how do you tell someone, how do you tell your partner that his wife is lying unconscious on a stretcher, "I.um.I don't know, the ambulance just left."  
  
"How are the others?"  
  
Roxanne had completely forgotten about the others, quickly she turned around and gasped in horror as Ruthie's limp body was pulled from the car, closely followed by those of Annie and Mary, "Just meet me at the hospital."  
  
Something in Roxanne's tone told Kevin that this moment would forever change his life, quickly he jumped from his chair, and for the first time since the conversation with Roxanne had began, Ben spoke, "Kev, what's going on? Was it them."  
  
Kevin nodded in response as he hung up the phone, and together they quickly left the pool hall.  
  
~  
  
Roxanne stared at the bodies of the family she had become so close to, "how could this happen?', she whispered allowed, "how could this happen?"  
  
"I don't know," a voice answered from behind her.  
  
Roxanne spun around, "Detective Michaels, I, I didn't see you there."  
  
"Why don't you go to the hospital, I know that's where you want to be."  
  
Roxanne smiled slightly, "thanks."  
  
~  
  
Kevin, Eric, Ben, and Simon sat in silence as they waited for a doctor, a nurse, someone, anyone, to tell them the fate of those they loved. Across the hospital, the atmosphere was much different.  
  
"I want icecream!," David exclaimed pointing to large variety of Popsicles offered by the hospital.  
  
"Me too!" Sam added.  
  
Roxanne smiled at the boys, secretly she loved the idea of having children, "which one do you want?" she asked.  
  
Sam and David quickly pointed out their choices.  
  
After the icecream was paid for the three sat down at a nearby table.  
  
"Why are we here?" David asked.  
  
Roxanne sighed, she knew this question was inevitable, but still she wished Eric or one of the Camdens was here to talk to the twins.  
  
"You're mommy, and Lucy, and Ruthie, and Mary had a pretty bad car accident."  
  
"Oh." Sam and David replied monotonously, as if this were a regular occurrence.  
  
Roxanne laughed at their total lack of understanding.  
  
~  
  
"Hi, I'm Doctor Jill McCarther."  
  
"How are they?" Ben asked immediately, the usually cheer gone from his voice.  
  
Dr. McCarther sighed, "Annie Camden suffered internal bleeding and a severe concussion, she is in surgery. Mary Camden broke both her legs in several places, she too has a severe concussion. Lucy Kinkirk has a broken wrist and is in a coma."  
  
"And Ruthie?" Simon asked, when the doctor paused.  
  
"Ruthie Camden didn't make it, I'm sorry."  
  
"Can we see Lucy or Mary?" Ben asked his tone showing very little of the emotion he felt.  
  
"Not yet." The doctor answered sadly.  
  
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Simon asked the question they all wanted to know, "what are their chances of.of."  
  
Dr. McCarther nodded, showing that she understood the question, "Annie has about a fifty-fifty chance, if they can stop the bleeding she should make it. Mary may never walk again, but her chances of survival are good, and as for Lucy, we never know with comas."  
  
"I, I think I'll go find Roxanne and the twins," Simon said, quickly walking out of the room.  
  
Eric stood up to follow, "I'll go call Matt."  
  
Once they were gone the doctor turned to Kevin and Ben, "which one of you is Mrs. Kinkirk's husband?"  
  
"I am," Kevin replied fearing that more bad news was coming.  
  
"Would you mind coming into my office for a minute?" she asked motioning toward a nearby door.  
  
Kevin quickly stood up, eager to know what this was about.  
  
"Did you know your wife was pregnant?"  
  
Kevin's jaw dropped, as he stared at the doctor in horror.  
  
"Evidently not."  
  
"Is the baby okay?" Kevin asked, his mind filling with questions.  
  
"So far, yes."  
  
"And if."  
  
"Babies have been delivered to comatose mothers, it's not impossible."  
  
"But she'll wake up before then?"  
  
"I don't know, coma's are completely unpredictable."  
  
"Do you know how far along she was.is?"  
  
"An OB-GYN will need to examine her for us to know that."  
  
"Okay, um, thanks for telling me."  
  
The doctor smiled slightly, "you're welcome.and Mr. Kinkirk," she commanded as Kevin stood to leave, "don't give up hope."  
  
"What was that about?" Ben asked as Kevin sat down next to his brother.  
  
"Lucy's pregnant." Kevin whispered leaning his head against the wall, "she's pregnant and in a coma."  
  
~  
  
Simon wandered through the hospital, just an hour before he and Cecilia had been making out on his bed and now he was in a hospital waiting to see how many more of his family members would die before the night ended.  
  
"You okay." A voice said from in front of him.  
  
Simon jumped at the voice and looked up to see an old man if front of him.  
  
"I'm, yes, I'm fine," he lied.  
  
"You don't look fine."  
  
Simon sighed, "one of my sisters is dead, one is in a coma, one may never walk again, and my mom's in surgery."  
  
"Tough day?"  
  
Simon nodded in response.  
  
"Let's talk."  
  
Before Simon knew it, he was sitting in a fairly dark, empty hospital room, pouring out his feelings to someone he had never even seen before.  
  
"She was the only one I could always talk to, we were all really close, but she was always there. I never told her that she was my favorite, and now, now I'll never get to see her again." 


	3. Chapter 3

"Does anyone know where Simon is?" Eric asked walking into the waiting room a few hours later.  
  
Both Kevin and Ben shook their heads, "he didn't go home with Roxanne and the twins did he?"  
  
"I don't think so."  
  
Before anyone could say anything more, Doctor McCarther entered the room, "Annie just got out of surgery, so far she's doing well, Lucy is still in a coma but you can see her now, Mary is still very delusional, but she too can be visited."  
  
"Can I see Annie?" Eric asked.  
  
"Right now she's in recovery, but tomorrow when we move her out of the ICU you will be able to see her."  
  
"Where's Lucy?" Kevin asked, already standing up.  
  
Dr. McCarther pointed to a nearby corridor, she's in room 304, it's the last one on the left.  
  
Kevin immediately left the room.  
  
"Where's Mary?" Ben asked, mimicking his brother.  
  
"311, down the same hallway on the right."  
  
Ben and Eric quickly walked to Mary's room, knowing that Kevin would want to be alone with Lucy for a little while.  
  
^^^  
  
"Mary?" Ben asked, gently taking Mary's hand in his own.  
  
Mary's eyes fluttered softly as she turned to look at her fiancé, "what happened?" she asked.  
  
Eric sat down on the opposite side of his daughter, "you were in a car accident."  
  
Mary closed her eyes trying to recall the accident, suddenly a look of horror came over her face, "is everyone else okay?" she whispered.  
  
Ben and Eric glanced nervously at one another, wondering how they were going to tell Mary 'the news'.  
  
Mary looked back and forth between them, noticing the anxiety in their eyes, "what happened?" she whispered.  
  
Ben glanced at Eric then began, "Mare, your mom just got out of surgery, but she should be okay, and Lucy, well, Lucy's in a coma."  
  
"And Ruthie?" Mary whispered trying to keep the tears from her eyes.  
  
Ben glanced at Eric, not knowing what to say.  
  
"What happened to Ruthie?" Mary asked, almost screaming.  
  
"Ruthie., well she's."  
  
"She's what?" Mary demanded.  
  
"Dead," Ben whispered.  
  
^^^  
  
Kevin placed his hand on the sheet covering Lucy's stomach, "I wonder if she knew," he whispered, "I wonder if she'll ever know." Silently he lay his head on the bed, as sobs overtook him.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Ben and Eric stood in the doorway, neither of them had ever expected to see Kevin cry, that he was capable of crying. Eric stepped into the room, and gently placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder.  
  
Kevin turned slowly to look up at his father in law, "I'm scared," he whispered, "I'm really really scared."  
  
Eric nodded, showing that he was feeling the same way, gently he took his daughter's hand in his, "Lucy's a fighter, she'll be okay."  
  
Kevin shook his head, "you don't know that."  
  
^^^  
  
"Thanks for talking to me."  
  
John Levine smiled, "your welcome Simon, now go find your family."  
  
Simon nodded and quickly left the room, when he arrived in the waiting room he was surprised to see that no one was there, just as he was about to find a nurses station he saw Eric and Ben exit Lucy's room.  
  
"Dad?" he called, quickly walking toward his father.  
  
"Where were you?" Eric asked immediately.  
  
"I needed to talk to someone. Can we see them now?"  
  
"You can see Mary, but I think Kevin wants some time alone with Lucy."  
  
"What about mom?..wait, is Lucy awake?" Simon asked, a tinge of hope in his voice.  
  
Eric shook his head sadly, "your mom just got out of surgery, and Lucy is still in a coma."  
  
^^^  
  
Kevin gently squeezed Lucy's hand, with all his heart he wished she would squeeze back, but of course she didn't.  
  
"Lucy, please," he pleaded, "I need you, our baby needs you, we all need you."  
  
Despite his pleas, however, Lucy's body remained motionless.  
  
Kevin stared at his wife's bruised face as he began to pray.  
  
^^^  
  
Three weeks later, Annie, Eric, Matt, Sarah, Kevin, Ben, Mary, Simon, Sam and David, stood (or sat, in Mary's case) in the funeral home, half- heartedly greeting the flood of people that came to consol them.  
  
The family was given an hour lunch break, during which visitors were asked to leave. As everyone walked into the kitchen, Simon pulled a chair near Ruthie's closed casket, "Ruthie I'm so sorry, so very very sorry," Simon cried, thinking of all the things Ruthie had wanted to do with her life.  
  
Simon looked toward the ceiling, envisioning Ruthie sitting upon a cloud looking down on him, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you how much you meant to me, how much I loved you. I'm sorry you didn't get to live out your dreams, I'm sorry Lucy and our grandparents couldn't be here to bid you goodbye, I'm sorry we waited so long to have your funeral, I'm sorry I ever yelled at you, and I'm sorry for not always being there for you . . ." Simon's voice trailed off as tears poured from his eyes, "I'm so very sorry," he whispered.  
  
^^^  
  
"Kevin what kind of sandwich would you like?" Annie asked.  
  
Kevin shrugged, "I don't care."  
  
Annie sighed, despite their sorrow they were all trying to move on, all except Kevin, who had been in a state of depression since the accident, and though she understood his pain she wished he would make an effort to at least appear cheerful.  
  
"Snap out of it bro." Ben said sitting down next to his brother.  
  
Kevin turned to stare at his brother, anger shining in his eyes, "I'd like to see you snap out of it when the person you love more than anything is a vegetable," Kevin screamed, his voice rising with every word, "she's a vegetable! How would you feel if Mary was a carrot, a piece of celery, a . . . zucchini." Kevin replied, recalling Lucy's favorite vegetable.  
  
Everyone turned to stare at him as tears poured from his eyes.  
  
Annie too began to cry, she had held herself together since she received the news about her daughters, but seeing Kevin sob, was like putting saline on her still open wounds.  
  
Seeing her brother in law, and mother sob, Mary and Sarah too began to weep, the twins quickly followed suite, and as they tried to comfort the family, Matt, Eric and Ben's eyes also became moist. The Camdens had faced many tragedies before, but this would prove to be one of the most difficult, not one of them knew how or if they would survive it. 


End file.
